The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-15
A POETS VIEW OF NAPOLEON.

Whether or not Senator ingalls, spoke
the literal truth when he said that "all
Americans regret Waterloo" it is un-
doubtedly true that most Americans
read with avidity every thing that
tends to throw additional light ON the
character or career of the Man of Des.
tiny who died at st. Helena sixty-six
years ago. The latest contribution to
this literature is paper entitled Some
Illustrations of Napoleon and his
Times" published in the last two
numbers of Scribner's Magazine. In
the July number is quoted descrip-
ton of the Emperor by the German
poet Heine who saw him in 1910,
which is 80 vivid and striking that we
publish it in full:
"But how felt when I first saw him
-Hosannah the Kaiser with mine
own most blessed eyes? 1t happened
even in the avenue of the Castle-gar-
den ut Dusseldorf. AS l peered
through the .gasping spectators,
though on the deeds and battles which
NJ. Legrand the drummer had told me
of, and my heart beat quick march; and
then thought at the same time of the
police notice, that all riding down the
avenue was forbidden on pain Of five
thalers fine. And the Emperor with
his staff rode right down the middle of
the avenue. The quivering trees bent
dow n as he came by; the sunbeams
trembled curiOusly fearful through the
green foliage; and in the blue heavens
above him visibly flOated a golden
star. The Emperor wore his we'll
worn green uniform, and his worldhis-
toric hat. He rode a white horse; and
his horse moved along in such a quiet,
proud, sure, distinguished way, that if
had then been the Crowned Prince of
Prussia should have envied that
horse. The Emperor sat i'm a negli-
gent way almost hanging; the one
hand held his briddle. the other patted
eOOd-humOredly the neck of his horse.
1t was sunny, marble hand-a nigh.
ty hand-One of the two hands which
had bound down the many-headed
monster of Anarchy, and arranged the
duels of nations, and 1t patted good
hum0redly the neck of his horse. His
countenance had the same color that
we see on Greek and Roman marble
heads; the lineaments of the same
were also as nObly cut as those of the
old statues. and on his face was writ
ten, "Thou shalt adore no other gods
but mo-" A smile which warmed and
tranquillized every heart lowered over
his lips; and yet we know that those
lips had only to whistle, ct la Prusse
n'eristait plus; those lips had only to
whistle, and the priesthood rung it's
last bell; those lips had only to whis-
tie, and the whole Holy Roman En-
pire would be set dancing; and the lips
laughed and the eyes laughed. Itwas
an eye clear as heaven; it could read
the hearts Of men, ard saw at glance
the whole things of the world; while
we others can only see them one by
one, and then only in a shadow. The
brow was not clear; the spirit of future
battles were crowded there; and there
went culver over the brow from time
to time, and that was a thought of crea.
ton, one.of those seven -leagued-boot
thoughts with which the spirit of the
Emperor invisibly bestrode the world;
and l believe every one of those
thoughts would have given German
author stuff to write about for a whole
life.